In an interview scheduled to air in May on Anderson Cooper’s daytime talk show, Anderson, Kevin Costner reveals that not only did he court Princess Diana to star in the sequel to his 1992 hit, The Bodyguard, but the late royal was eager to take on the role. It would have been her first acting endeavor.

“Diana and I had been talking about doing Bodyguard 2,” added Costner, who co-starred with the late Whitney Houston in the original film. “I told her I would take care of her just the same way that I took care of Whitney. . . . She wanted me to write it for her. I said ‘I’ll tailor it for you if you’re interested.’ She goes: ‘I am interested.’”

The sequel, ironically enough, would have centered on Costner’s Bodyguardcharacter, Frank Farmer, protecting Diana’s character from paparazzi and stalkers before the pair become romantically involved. The actor told Cooper that he received the script for the sequel on August 31, 1997, the day before Princess Diana died in Paris in a car crash that was originally blamed on paparazzi, who were following the vehicle that carried her and Dodi Fayed.

In 2011, Warner Bros. announced that it was planning a Bodyguard reboot.